Souvlaki
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Bring a taste of Greece to your own backyard with souvlaki: succulent skewers of lemony chicken, grilled to perfection.
This chicken souvlaki is everything you want from a summer grilling recipe: juicy, flavorful, and easy to make. Marinated in olive oil, garlic, herbs, and lemon zest, then grilled until lightly charred, it’s packed with vibrant Mediterranean flavor. Serve it with warm pita, creamy tzatziki, hummus, and a Greek salad for a fresh, satisfying meal that’s perfect for casual backyard dinners or entertaining.
One thing that sets this souvlaki recipe apart is the marinade. Rather than using lemon juice, I use fresh lemon zest, which gives the chicken plenty of bright citrus flavor without affecting its texture. Despite popular belief, acidic marinades don’t actually tenderize lean chicken breasts—in fact, they can make them tough and leathery. Lemon zest delivers all the flavor with none of the downside, helping keep the chicken tender and juicy.
“The best souvlaki ever. We used to go to Greektown for our fix. Not anymore.”
What You’ll Need To Make Souvlaki
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Pound the chicken. One at a time, place the chicken breasts in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag; using a meat mallet, pound to an even ½-inch thickness. (You can skip this step if using chicken tenderloins; they are already tender and cook quickly.) Cut the meat into 2-inch chunks.
Step 2: Make the marinade. Mix the extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic, dried oregano, honey, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and lemon zest together in a large bowl.
Step 3: Marinate. Add the chicken pieces to the marinade in the bowl and stir until evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. The longer the better!
Step 4: Prep the chicken for grilling. Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers, folding if the pieces are long and thin. Be sure not to cram the skewers. (Note: You’ll need about 6 skewers.)
Step 5: Grill the souvlaki. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and, using tongs, dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and carefully wipe the grill grate several times to prevent sticking. Place the chicken skewers on the grill and cook, covered, turning to brown evenly, until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a platter and cover to keep warm. Meanwhile, briefly grill the pita bread until warmed through.
Step 6: Make the tzatziki sauce. Combine the Greek yogurt, coarsely grated cucumber, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, and fresh dill (or mint) in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. (The tzatziki can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
Alternative Broiler & Grill Pan Instructions
To use a grill pan: Heat the pan over medium-high, then brush it lightly with oil. Add the skewers in a single layer (you may need to work in batches) and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Keep turning as needed until the chicken is cooked through and nicely charred all over.
To use a broiler: Preheat your broiler to high and position a rack about 5 to 6 inches from the heat. Line a baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top, and spray it with nonstick spray. Arrange the skewers on the rack and broil for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and nicely golden.
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Video Tutorial
Souvlaki
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from one large lemon
For the Tzatziki
- 1½ cups plain 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 medium English or hothouse cucumber, seeded, coarsely grated and squeezed as dry as possible (about 1 cup)
- 2 small cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Scant ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill or mint
For Serving
- Lemon wedges
- Warm pita bread
Instructions
For the Chicken
- One at a time, place the chicken breasts in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag; using a meat mallet, pound to an even ½-in (13-mm) thickness. (Skip this step if using chicken tenderloins.) Cut the meat into 2-in (5-cm) chunks.
- Mix all the ingredients except for the chicken together in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and stir until evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers, folding if the pieces are long and thin. Be sure not to cram the skewers (see note).
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and, using tongs, dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and carefully wipe the grill grate several times to prevent sticking. Place the skewers on the grill and cook, covered, turning to brown evenly, until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a platter and cover to keep warm. Meanwhile, briefly grill the pita bread until warmed through. Serve with tzatziki sauce, warm pita, and lemon wedges.
For the Tzatziki
- Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Cover and chill for up to 2 days or until ready to serve.
Notes
- You'll need about 6 skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes prior to using to prevent them from burning on the grill.
- Alternative Broiling Instructions: Preheat the broiler to high. Arrange an oven rack so that the skewers will be 5 to 6 inches away from the broiler element. While the broiler is heating, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Place a wire rack on the baking sheet and spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the skewers on the wire rack. Once the broiler is preheated, broil the skewers for 3 to 4 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, turn the skewers over, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and has a nice golden color.
- Alternative Grill Pan Instructions: Heat the pan over medium-high heat on the stove. Once the pan is hot, brush it lightly with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Place the skewers in the pan in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches). Cook the skewers for 3 to 4 minutes, then use tongs to turn them over and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Continue to turn the skewers, if necessary, until the chicken is fully cooked and all sides have nice grill marks.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Hi Jenn, Can’t wait to try these! If I’m out of skewers, can I just put on the grill flat instead? Also, how many minutes would you take off for a Forman grill? Many thanks!
Hi Sara, Yes, you can grill them whole; I’d cook them, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes per side. (Make sure not to overcook.) And I don’t have any experience with a Forman grill so I don’t know if the cooking time would be different — sorry!
Hi Jen,
I never can go wrong with any of. your recipes…but is it possible to bake/roast these instead of on the grill? Also, can I simply use chicken tenders?
Thanks!!
Batya
Hi Batya, glad you like the recipes! You can cook these in the oven, but I’d broil them. See the bottom of the recipe for broiling instructions. And, yes, you can definitely use chicken tenders. Enjoy!
Made this last night and it was really delcious! The chicken is unbelievably tasty. The tzatziki was so easy to make and just garlicky enough with a nice balance from the mint.
My husband declared this one to be in the Pantheon of Great Recipes 🙂
Thanks once again for a super nice recipe.
Am I overlooking the metric conversion option on this recipe? I know your recipes normally include the metric measurements, which is always quite handy for those of us living abroad. Looking forward to trying these this weekend and am confident they’ll be a hit!
Sorry about that, Jill! I forgot to add the metric measurements, but have updated the recipe to include them. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen,
Your recipe calls for breasts but we generally use thighs on the bbq. I noticed most of your bbq chicken recipes also use thighs and was wondering why breasts were used instead. And if we were to use thighs, would there be any changes? (I wouldn’t think so but just checking in case there was a reason to use breasts over thighs). Thanks Jen, we use you recipes on a weekly basis!
Hi Bry, There’s no significant reason I used breasts here, other than trying to maintain a balance of different cuts of chicken throughout my recipes. If you use thighs, you could add a tablespoon or two of lemon juice to the marinade if you’d like. The thighs will take a bit longer to cook, so just keep an eye on them. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
How can you cook this in grill pan on stove or in the oven?
Don’t have outdoor grill.
Hi Zen,
For the broiler: Preheat your broiler to high. Arrange an oven rack so that the skewers will be 5 to 6 inches away from the broiler element. While the broiler is heating, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Place a wire rack on the baking sheet and spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the skewers on the wire rack.
Once the broiler is preheated, broil the skewers for 3 to 4 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, turn the skewers over, and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and has a nice golden color.
For the grill pan: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat on the stove. Once the pan is hot, brush it lightly with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Place the skewers in the pan in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches). Cook the skewers for 3 to 4 minutes, then use tongs to turn them over and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Continue to turn the skewers, if necessary, until the chicken is fully cooked and all sides have nice grill marks.
Hope that helps!
Made this for dinner tonight. One bite from my teenage son (while he was on the phone with his friend 😉 and he was like, “OMG-my mom just made the best chicken for dinner”.
Thanks for always making me look like a rockstar!
💗
Just last week I was searching your site for a souvlaki recipe and was so bummed you didn’t have one. It’s like you were in my brain!! Thanks for posting, cannot wait to try!
Could you keep these chicken breasts whole, and cook them whole instead of skewers? What would cooking time be, if yes.
Sure, Debbie – but I would still pound them first. You can follow the cooking guidance here.
I am looking forward to making this!!